Bitcoin eCash (ECX) hard fork mainnet activation

The permanent mainnet activation of the Bitcoin eCash hard fork is scheduled for October 31, 2026, at block 973,728. The event creates a separate ECX chain and distributes tokens one-to-one to eligible BTC holders, while Bitcoin itself is not changed.

What is happening

Bitcoin eCash (ECX) is a planned hard fork of the Bitcoin network announced on April 24, 2026 by Paul Sztorc, CEO of LayerTwo Labs. A revised rollout plan published on August 7, 2026 set out three phases: an alpha phase on August 23 at block 963,648 using practice coins, a beta phase on September 20 at block 967,680, and the permanent mainnet activation at block 973,728, expected around October 31, 2026.

Under the proposal, eligible Bitcoin holders would receive eCash tokens at a one-to-one ratio, so a holder of a fractional BTC balance would receive a proportional amount. Coins linked to Satoshi are excluded from the allocation, and the project proposes to handle them separately. The project also includes a Drivechain component intended to enable sidechains on the forked network.

Bitcoin's protocol, security and consensus rules remain unaffected. The fork produces a separate chain, while BTC continues to operate under Bitcoin mainnet rules. In August 2026, WisdomTree published a notice setting a record date for holders of its Physical Bitcoin product and said it would assess options for eligible holders to receive forked assets, without guaranteeing their value or distribution.

Why it matters

For holders, the main question is access. Self-custody users who control their own private keys are expected to have direct access to ECX on the new chain, while custodial users depend on their exchange's decision to support the fork and credit the tokens. As of October 2026, major exchanges have not uniformly committed to supporting eCash distributions, so official exchange announcements are worth monitoring.

For traders, fork events have historically been accompanied by elevated volatility before and after the split, and two separate tokens can complicate portfolio management and valuation. Security is another consideration: importing a Bitcoin seed phrase into an unfamiliar fork wallet can expose the original holdings, and chains launched without replay protection may allow transactions to be repeated on the other chain. Tax treatment of forked tokens also varies by jurisdiction, so holders may want to review local rules before the fork activates.

Key details

• Date: October 31, 2026 (block 973,728, approximate)
• Project: Bitcoin eCash (LayerTwo Labs)
• Coins: BTC, ECX
• Category: Network Upgrade
• Status: Confirmed
• Source: https://financefeeds.com/crypto-forks-explained/